Facade of Opulence
by speed killz
Summary: No matter how much she gains, it can never fill the void of the one person she never had. MioXRitsu, one-shot. Please read and review! Angst, romance. One-sided MioXRitsu...maybe.


_Facade of Opulence_

Long, rich ebony hair cascaded down over slender, bare shoulders, reaching her waist in perfectly cut soft strands. A sigh escaped the beautiful lips that graced her porcelain features, her snow white skin barely reflected in the window that she stared out of. Her steely grey eyes were lifeless, empty and without emotion as she stared at the green expanse of her front lawn, contrasted only by the grey brick of her driveway where she could see two of her four cars.

Another soft, barely audible sigh escaped her before she pushed away from the window and stood up from the arm of the black leather recliner she had been resting on. Hiking up the too-large white T-shirt that hung off her shoulders, she stepped barefoot across the heated dark cherrywood floors that lead to her kitchen. Fingertips skating across her bare thighs as she stepped into her expansive, open-concept kitchen, she moved to her double-door stainless steel refrigerator. Opening it up, she gazed impassively inside for what seemed an eternity, but was really only a few fleeting moments, before grabbing a bottle of water and straightening up, closing the door.

Twisting off the lid, she raised to cold liquid to her lips, taking a sip as she contemplated what remained of her day.

Perhaps she'd take the BMW for a cruise around town? She thought about it for a moment, as she walked down the hallway toward the front door. Stopping a moment by the shoe closet to study her reflection in the double glass mirrors, she realized that the Infiniti hadn't been driven for a while. It could use a jaunt around town...

Her reflection stared back at her, long toned legs leading up to wide hips. Dark red panties were visible underneath the white shirt that didn't quite hang down low enough, giving glimpses of her lithe form and showing off her narrow hips. Her generous bust stretched the fabric of her shirt and revealed more of her flawless porcelain skin. Her left hand was on her hip, her right hand loosely holding her water bottle.

Her mind wandered again to her cars, and she considered taking the new 370Z she had purchased last month out. It had basically sat in her garage since she had brought it home the month previous, and she was pretty sure the stickers were still on the window.

She was just beginning to thoroughly entertain the idea of getting dressed up and taking one of her cars for a spin into town for an impromptu shopping trip and a cup of something delicious at the local coffee shop when her phone vibrated on the table beside the chair near the window.

Breaking the staring contest she'd been having with her reflection, she wandered over to her phone, picking it up and unlocking it by sliding her thumb across the bottom. Immediately, her delicate, thin eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

_'What the hell... is she...?'_

This was the last person she expected a text from. Especially saying this.

_Hey...I'm in your town today. I know it's kind of sudden, but if you aren't busy, do you maybe want to meet up?_

"Ritsu..."

The name left her lips in a soft whisper, carrying more emotions than she was sure she had displayed all week.

Standing there in her house all alone, she wondered what she should do.

What did she want to do?

It had been so long since they had last talked...did she really want to re-open wounds she had closed up so long ago?

Biting her lip, her fingers hesitated over her screen, ready to reply. What she was going to say though, she had no idea.

Another sigh, but one of frustration this time, rather than the lonely, bored ones that had been escaping her all morning long.

Her phone vibrated again in her hand, and the screen lit up.

_I guess you're busy. Or something. Whatever. Hope to catch ya later._

Mio's liquid grey eyes filled with worry, and she quickly tapped back a reply.

_I'm not busy._

She sent it, and suddenly her heart was hammering in her chest.

_Want to meet at the coffee shop?_

She hesitated, wondering if she should send it. Trying to suppress the trembling that threatened to tumble the phone out of her hand to the floor, she gripped it tighter.

"Ritsu..."

Almost against her will, she sent the text, cursing the reaction that a mere text message from a girl she hadn't seen in four years was causing her.

"This is ridiculous..." She breathed shakily. "I can't believe...she still..."

_'Matters?'_

Mio shook her head. Ritsu would always matter. She just couldn't believe that after all this time, Ritsu still had this effect on her.

_'What if she's...got a boyfriend now?'_

The very thought made her feel sick to her stomach, and she banished that thought from her mind. What did it matter to her, anyhow? It wasn't like they...

She decided to leave that thought alone as her phone vibrated.

_Okay, I know the place. See you soon._

Mio stared at her phone, part of her not believing that this spectre from her past had come back to haunt her. Not wanting to believe, but at the same time, desperately glad that she would get to see her once more.

Licking her lips, she reached up and wiped at her eyes discreetly, despite that no one was around to see her.

She sniffed, then smiled despite herself as she walked toward the stairs that lead to her bedroom upstairs. If the girl had this kind of reaction on her with just a simple text, what would seeing her in person do to her?

She didn't want to think about it. Couldn't think about it. Didn't want to face the possibility that seeing this girl would cause her to fall apart and break down into a whining, crying wreck.

Opening the door to her walk-in closet, she was determined not to let that happen.

_'Let Ritsu be the one to break down crying,'_ Mio thought, carefully picking out her clothes. _'Especially when she sees what she missed out on.'_

_F.o.O_

It wasn't long before she was dressed and walking through her garage, wondering which of her cars to drive. It didn't matter which car she chose, really. Ritsu would inevitably see them all when she came back here. She just needed to pick the one she liked driving the most.

Her eyes glanced at the alpine white 370Z sitting in her garage, shaded from the sun by the protective enclosure. The little black hairs were still visible on her tires, along with the orange circular stickers on the rims, indicating how little the car had been driven. It's paint gleamed even in the scattered, broken sunlight that made it's way into the garage by reflecting off everything outside. Her gaze slid over the black Infiniti and the red BMW M3 GTR sitting in her driveway. She'd driven them too much, lately it seemed.

Her gaze landed on the other car prized enough to take up garage space; a silver '93 FD RX7.

Cocking her head to the side, she considered the only car she owned that wasn't made in the last four years. A smile graced her lips as she realized how much fun it was to drive the car; today was a beautiful sunny day, and the unique sound and feel of the rotary was calling to her.

She pulled open the car door and slid into the leather interior, inhaling deeply and enjoying the unique scent that accompanied the car. Turning the key that already rested in the ignition, the car cranked once, twice, then caught on the third revolution, a throaty roar greeting her as the engine purred to life.

Looking out the less-than-accommodating rear window, she slipped the car into reverse and slowly guided it out of the garage and around the two other cars parked there. When she reached the bottom of her driveway, she slipped it into gear, and with a little persuasion from the throttle, let out the clutch and leaned back into the comfortable leather seat as her car accelerated down the road.

000

The drive didn't take long; she didn't live that far away from town. Just far enough to have her quiet and privacy, but close enough to be convenient.

She didn't waste time. She drove straight to the coffee shop, fully expecting Ritsu to already be there, waiting for her.

She wasn't wrong, she saw, as she pulled up even with the curb and saw Ritsu leaning against her car. Even with four years of no contact between them, Mio was able to spot Ritsu instantly.

It wasn't hard, really. Ritsu was leaning up against the side of her car, golden eyes cast to the sky with her arms folded across her chest. It appeared she had been attempting to grow out her hair; it was typically messy, but reached the middle of her back now, with her long sidebangs falling carelessly around her face and stopping at the middle of her chest.

_'Probably just barely covers her breasts when she's naked...'_

The thought manifested itself before she could stop it, and she fought the iridescent blush that rose to her cheeks at the thought. Glad she was hidden from view inside her car, she shut it off as Ritsu seemed to realize her surroundings, looking around and then focusing on the silver car with a slightly surprised gaze.

Mio got out and stood up tall, nodding to the girl.

"Why don't you get in with me? We'll go back to my house." Mio suggested.

There was a seconds' silence, then Ritsu readily agreed.

"Uh, y-yeah. Sure. Lemme just..." She turned around and bent over, reaching inside her car and grabbing her phone. Straightening up, she opened her door and rolled up the window, before locking it and closing the door. Slowly walking across the small parking lot and the space that separated them, it seemed to Mio that she would burst into a jog at any second.

All too soon, Ritsu was there, opening the door and sliding into the cool interior. Mio took a second to control her breathing, then slid in beside her in the driver's seat. Closing the door, she cranked the ignition. This time, the car caught instantly.

"Whoa." Ritsu was thrown off by the rumble that seemed to erupt from underneath her, the vibration from the engine shaking the car.

Mio pretended not to notice as she checked her mirror. Seeing that the way was clear, she slipped it into first and let out the clutch a bit hotter than usual, smirking as the tires squealed on the pavement as she pulled out back onto the road.

"So, uh...how've you been?" Ritsu asked, trying to inconspicuously find something to hold onto.

"Fine." Mio answered tersely. She flicked her gaze to Ritsu. "And you?"

A second's silence, then; "Fine."

A heavy pause filled the air between them, during which only the engine could be heard, steadily growing louder.

"Y-you look good, you know." Ritsu mumbled. Her voice was almost a whisper as she looked out the passenger window, refusing to make eye contact.

Mio took this opportunity to study the girl a bit more closely. Glancing over, she took in her appearance.

As noted before, her tawny brown hair now hung down to her mid back and over her shoulders. Instead of a yellow headband keeping it out of her eyes, it was a white bandanna with small purple spirals on it. A tight green short sleeved T-shirt clung to her upper body, and faded blue jeans were constrasted with a white belt and red skater shoes.

Her chest had gotten a bit bigger since last time, Mio noted, but not by much. Still, the silver chain around her neck had some cleavage to hide in, and it was pretty noticeable in that tight shirt of hers.

_'KCCO? I wonder what it means.' _Mio thought, noticing the letters printed on the shirt for the first time.

"Is that a tattoo?" Mio asked, glimpsing some ink on the inside of Ritsu's right wrist as she played idly with her phone in her lap.

"Er...yeah. One of a few, actually." Ritsu made no movement to show her the tattoo in more detail, nor to explain the others.

Mio didn't bother asking.

There was silence for a few more moments, before Mio sighed quietly.

"Why did you bother texting me?" She asked, slowing down and pulling into the driveway. Parking behind her BMW, she shut the engine off and unbuckled her seat belt, turning to look at Ritsu's startled expression.

"What do you mean?" Ritsu asked, visibly confused.

"It's no secret we aren't as close as we used to be. What is it you want, exactly?"

Ritsu's expression darkened, and her jaw clenched.

"I don't want anything. Except to see you. See how you're doing."

"Come on in. I'll show you how I'm doing." Mio responded. Getting out of the car, she waited for Ritsu to unbuckle herself and get out. Closing and locking the doors, Mio gestured toward the house.

"After you."

Hesitantly, Ritsu walked up the smooth walkway, glancing at the cars in the driveway with disbelief clear on her features.

Mio said nothing as she followed Ritsu, silently congratulating herself on handling seeing Ritsu better than she had thought she would.

"The door is unlocked." Mio said as Ritsu approached it ahead of her.

Looking back at her with a curious look on her face, almost asking silent permission, she paused with her hand on the door handle. Mio nodded, and Ritsu turned back to the door, twisting the handle and pushing the door open.

Walking in, Mio nearly missed Ritsu's sharp intake of breath, amazed at what greeted her.

"This is all much better than when I saw you last." Ritsu said.

Mio tried to discern if Ritsu's voice was filled with awe, lust, or approval, but couldn't tell the difference. It was the same reaction everyone had when they saw it.

"Just how big is this house, anyway?" Ritsu asked, looking around, craning her neck up as she glanced up at the high vaulted ceilings and wide staircase.

"Forty-five hundred square feet." Mio said monotonously, as if she were reading it from a spec sheet.

"Wow..."

Mio followed her through the kitchen, until they looped back into the living room. Wide, luxurious couches lined the walls, facing a big screen television mounted on the opposite wall. Underneath, a wide sound system stand held a plethora of video game consoles, a DVD and Blu-Ray player, and a few other gadgets.

"This is amazing."

"Sure is." Mio replied.

Ritsu finally must have heard the uncaring tone in her voice, for she finally looked over to Mio, tearing her eyes away from the symbols of wealth that surrounded her.

"Are you okay?"

Mio gestured around herself, indicating all that encircled them.

"How could I not be?" She asked sarcastically. "Isn't this what everyone wants?"

Ritsu paused, then moved toward one of the black leather couches, sitting down and gesturing for Mio to join her.

Mio didn't move.

"You were never like everyone. You never wanted what they wanted."

Mio crossed her arms in front of her chest and looked away, before she blurted out the one thing she had only ever wanted.

"Please come sit beside me?" Ritsu asked.

Mio turned back to face her once she was sure she had eliminated any signs of weakness from her face. Observing Ritsu with her somber grey eyes, Mio took a moment to just stare. To look at the only thing she had ever wanted, and the one thing she could never buy no matter how much money she made.

Inhaling deeply through her nose, she held it for a moment before exhaling softly. Slowly moving over toward the couch, she sat down beside Ritsu.

"So what have you been doing in the four years or so since I saw you last?" Mio asked.

Ritsu shrugged, sharp golden eyes looking around and taking in every detail of the house.

"Working, really." She replied. "Although, clearly not as hard as you."

There it was, Mio noticed. Admiration, in her voice. Jealousy too, probably, but it was well concealed.

"What makes you think I've worked hard?" Mio asked.

For a second, Mio saw the old Ritsu, the Ritsu that turned to her with a look a disbelief plastered across her face, and a tone in her voice that suggested Mio was crazy.

"What do you mean? All of this. Was it free? It must have cost lots. The house, the cars, the video games and entertainment system...and everything else in this house. It obviously cost something."

Mio considered it all for a moment.

"Yeah, I've worked hard." She admitted. "I've got lots of stuff. But that's all it is, really. Stuff. People who don't have it, want it. Can I tell you a secret, Ritsu?"

Ritsu nodded slowly, listening intently.

"All of this, this...stuff, it means nothing to me. If it got taken away from me tomorrow, I wouldn't care."

"Why not?" Ritsu asked, confusion in her voice. "You just said you worked hard for it all."

"Because I worked for it. And I still need to work. Lots. Big houses and big toys have big bills. When do you think the last time I turned on my XBOX was? Or even my television? The answer might surprise you. I bought a new car last month. I drove it from the dealership to my garage. Thirteen kilometers, over thirty days ago. Haven't touched it since. What good is all this stuff if I never have the time to enjoy it? I buy it because I have money, and I want to spend money. Buying the damn thing is the only time I'll ever enjoy it. Once I have it, I don't have time to enjoy any of it."

Ritsu was quiet, thinking about what Mio had said.

"Aren't you happy, though?" Ritsu finally asked, staring at her hands in her lap.

It wasn't a question Mio was expecting. Before she could even think of a lie, she blurted out the truth.

"Not at all."

"Even with all this?" Ritsu asked, still sounding incredulous.

"I don't want any of this!" Mio finally shouted. "It means nothing to me! Its just a replacement!"

Ritsu flinched away from her, wincing at the suddenly loud voice near her ear. Immediately, Mio calmed down, sighing and rubbing her temples and closing her eyes.

"Sorry." She whispered.

Ritsu leaned over, concern in her eyes as she gently touched Mio's shoulder.

"What are you trying to replace?" She asked. "Why are you so unhappy?"

Mio didn't respond. Instead, she stared vacantly at the floor, upset at her outburst.

"Mio, seriously. I'm worried about you. Talk to me. I know I haven't been the greatest friend these last couple years, but...I want to help."

Mio shook her head. "I only ever wanted one thing. No matter how hard I worked, I never got it. This...is my replacement. And I don't give a damn about any of it."

"Mio, what was it you wanted? Maybe I can help..." Ritsu trailed off, unsure of what to say. She had never seen this side of Mio before, and it was worrying her.

Mio laughed mirthlessly. "You really don't know? I knew you were dense, but to be that oblivious, really, Ritsu?"

Ritsu felt her heart beat speed up, and her breath hitched in her throat.

"What are you...talking about?"

Mio whirled on her, tears forming in the corners of her eyes. Her raven hair whipped around her as she grabbed Ritsu's shoulders, slamming her against the back of the couch.

"You, you idiot!" She yelled. "I wanted you! For the last...I don't know how many years, all I've ever wanted was you! Yet you ignored my obvious advances, my hints, everything! Over the last four or five years, you distanced yourself from me, made me a stranger! I...I..."

Mio trailed off, tears now falling freely down her face as she let go of years of pent up anger and sadness. Sinking down into Ritsu's lap, arms moving from her shoulders to around her neck, Mio buried her face in Ritsu's shoulder and cried.

Stunned, disbelieving, Ritsu slowly put her arms around Mio's back, eyes wide as she stared unseeingly at the opposite wall. She tried to process what Mio had shouted at her, but part of her didn't want to believe it.

"M-Mio, I..."

Mio only tightened her grip in response, as if she were afraid to let go of Ritsu.

"Th-there was only one person I ever wanted my whole life. It was you. It just so happened that you were the only person I couldn't get." Mio whispered, her lips grazing against Ritsu's ear.

"Ritsu, you have no idea how many people have come into my life, attracted to my money and my material gains. You have no idea how quickly I sent them away, knowing none of them were actually interested in me. They were only interested in what I owned. Just..." Mio trailed off, sniffling.

"Just like you." She whispered. "You don't know how much it hurt to see your face light up when you walked in my house, like you'd seen the most amazing thing in your life. I thought you were different, Ritsu. I should have known better. You want all these things I have, just like everyone else. I might as well not even exist."

Ritsu felt her heart breaking at those words, and the pitiful whimpering sound of Mio's voice. Still, she couldn't bring herself to speak, the words she wanted to say stuck in her throat as Mio sobbed quietly in her lap. The beautiful woman, who had stood so tall and proud twenty minutes previous beside her silver car in the coffee shop parking lot, was now a pathetic, trembling little girl curled up in her lap, crying her eyes out.

"Maybe this was a mistake." Ritsu whispered, feeling tears beginning to form in the corners of her eyes, against her will. "I shouldn't have come here. I shouldn't have even texted you. You were doing fine, until I-"

"I was never doing fine." Mio interrupted, squeezing her eyes closed against the unending onslaught of tears. "Everything I have, everything I've accomplished, it's worthless. Worthless without the person I want by my side to share it with." She shook her head slowly, hair tickling Ritsu's cheek.

"I'm sorry, Ritsu." Mio whispered. "I never should have said anything. To put all of this on you, I'm sorry. I should have-"

Suddenly, Ritsu was pushing against her. Surprised, Mio leaned back. Too far back, she realized. Losing her balance, she fell off Ritsu's lap as the girl attempted to stand. Mio didn't even have time to cry out when she landed on her bum, elbows painfully impacting the hardwood floor as she kept her head from hitting the floor. Staring up at the blushing girl, Mio couldn't think of anything to say.

"Mio, I'm the one who's sorry. I'm sorry I couldn't give you what you wanted. I've..." Ritsu reached up and angrily wiped away a tear that was streaking down her cheek.

"I've really hurt you. Disappointed you. I never meant to..."

Mio stared up at her, wide-eyed. Unable to move, frozen in place by Ritsu's sorrowful gaze, she could only watch in disbelief as Ritsu shook her head.

"I'm sorry, Mio." She whispered. Before Mio could do anything to stop her, Ritsu glanced at her one more time, before moving toward the front door.

"I shouldn't be here. All I've done is hurt you."

Without saying anything else, without even saying goodbye, Mio watched in frozen disbelief as Ritsu walked out the front door.

When the door slammed shut behind her, Mio finally blinked. Tears immediately blurred her vision, and she cursed softly, rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand. When she reopened them, her heart panged with sorrow and regret.

Ritsu was gone for good.

A/N: Something I wrote to contrast material gain and desired personal relationships. My intention was to illustrate that no matter how much someone gains physically, it can never replace what they yearn for emotionally. Reviews are appreciated, let me know what you think, how I did. Thank you for reading!


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